Dr. Rita Cheek explains how sleep changes across women’s lives and offers hygiene tips

Dr. Rita Cheek spoke at a women’s health lecture about how sleep patterns change from infancy through older adulthood and offered practical sleep-hygiene advice for women, including when to consult a health care provider.

Cheek told attendees, “I'm here to talk with you today about, women and sleep, and it's a great honor to be here celebrating women,” and framed the talk around physiological changes across the life span that affect sleep.

She summarized the key physiological drivers of sleep: a homeostatic process tied to how long a person has been awake and a circadian clock synchronized to the light–dark cycle. Cheek said adults generally need seven to nine hours of sleep, and that a full sleep cycle lasts about an hour and a half. She noted that some people function well on five to six hours but said those are exceptions rather than the rule.

Using developmental benchmarks, Cheek described differences by age: newborns sleep about 16 hours a day and spend roughly half of that time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep; REM proportion drops through childhood to about 20 percent in adulthood. She said children ages about 5 to 12 typically need about 10 to 11 hours per night and that excessive daytime sleepiness, frequent night awakenings or snoring merit evaluation.

On adolescence, Cheek attributed later bedtimes and morning sleepiness to circadian changes and noted the practical conflict with early school start times. On pregnancy, she described early fatigue tied to progesterone and common mid- and late-pregnancy complaints — more nightmares in mid-pregnancy, urinary frequency and heartburn, and poorer sleep quality late in pregnancy; she recommended left-side sleeping for better fetal blood flow and reducing evening fluids to limit night wakings.

Cheek discussed menopause-related sleep problems — night sweats, hot flashes, lighter or more fragmented sleep — and listed behavioral measures she said can help: balanced diet, limiting late heavy meals, reducing caffeine and alcohol, controlling bedroom temperature, regular exercise (preferably morning exercise and not within three hours of bedtime), relaxation techniques, and lightweight bedding.

She warned that many common medications can worsen insomnia, listing cold/allergy medicines, some cardiovascular drugs, thyroid medications, certain asthma and pain medicines, birth-control pills and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). She advised that over-the-counter antihistamines such as diphenhydramine (commonly sold as Benadryl) can cause next-day drowsiness and that sleep aids are generally recommended for short-term use; she said some clinicians limit sleeping-aid use to about three weeks to avoid rebound insomnia.

Cheek also covered specific sleep disorders and red flags: persistent daytime impairment from poor sleep, loud or frequent snoring with daytime sleepiness or headaches (which may indicate sleep apnea), restless legs and periodic limb movements that disrupt sleep, and violent or unsafe movements out of bed (which she identified as requiring medical evaluation). She urged people with these symptoms to consult a health care provider.

The presentation closed with practical tips: allow a transition routine before bedtime, schedule a short “worry” period after dinner to list problems and next-day actions, consider short early-afternoon naps if needed, block noise or use white noise and eye masks when helpful, and evaluate very old mattresses as a possible cause of back pain and disrupted sleep.

Beth Shank, who introduced the program and identified herself as “facilitator of women's health at Psychiatric Hospital,” closed the session with announcements that upcoming talks in the lecture series will include Dr. Judy Bisher, a family practice physician at the Western Montana Clinic, speaking on weight management on 03/15/2007, and Dr. Laura Augyan, also a family practice physician at the Western Montana Clinic, presenting a talk on men’s health; Shank said the lectures are offered in person at Saint Patrick Hospital’s Broadway Building on the third Thursday of each month.

Cheek emphasized her central message: sleep patterns change across women’s lives and making sleep a priority — through behavioral steps, attention to medication effects and timely evaluation for sleep disorders — can protect both physical and mental health.